


My Life As A Paraplegic Pageant Girl

by aguyofmanythings



Category: The Loud House (Cartoon)
Genre: Autobiography, Disability, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24397573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aguyofmanythings/pseuds/aguyofmanythings
Summary: TheLoudArtist15's OC, Isabelle Dawson, tells her story about her life as a young girl with paraplegia.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3
Collections: TheLoudArtist15's Stories





	1. Birth to Toddlerhood

Hello! My name is Isabelle Dawson, and you all probably know me as one of Lola's friends who is in a wheelchair. Well, those two facts are true. I am Lola's friend, and I am in a wheelchair. As you can guess from the title, I will tell my story of how I'm in a wheelchair and became friends with Lola as well as how my disability affected my pageant career and my everyday life in general. So buckle up, remain seated, and listen up because I will now begin the story of my life. The story of my life as a paraplegic pageant girl.

I was born on May 3, 2010; I am currently six years old. As you can tell by my wheelchair, I was born with paraplegia. For those who don't know, paraplegia is paralysis on my legs, meaning I can't move them at all. If I can't move my legs, that means I can't walk, run, dance, or do any other movement that involves moving my legs. This means that I have to use a wheelchair if I want to go places. This also means that I am physically handicapped, physically disabled, paraplegic, whatever you like to call it. They all mean the same to me.

My parents were informed by a doctor that I was paraplegic two hours after I was born. They were confused at first since they were unfamiliar with the word "paraplegia" at the time, but after the doctor explained to them what paraplegia is, they were horrified, and I don't blame them. Imagine you were a parent, and your child was finally born. Obviously you would be happy, but now imagine that a doctor approaches you and informs you that your child cannot move his or her legs at all for the rest of his or her life. Your reaction will be exactly what my parents felt when they were first informed that I was paraplegic. My older brother Ike, who was ten at the time, was also horrified after my parents told him the news after returning home from the hospital.

Two years had gone by, and I am now a cute two-year-old girl. I acted like any toddler would. I cried with joy when my parents or brother played peek-a-boo with me, I cried when I hurt myself, I was potty-trained, etc. Despite knowing I have paraplegia, my parents still treated me like their normal child, but as I said before I was two years old. I was around the age when toddlers began to walk, and the more my parents thought about it, the more depressed they became. They knew I couldn't walk because of my disability, and they knew that I soon needed a wheelchair.


	2. The First Day of School

By the time I turned four, the doctor offered my parents a wheelchair during my checkup so I can finally move around on my own. At the time, I was excited about finally getting a wheelchair. The thought of moving around without the need of my parents to carry me or push me on a stroll was very exciting. I just need to learn how to roll my wheelchair and I should be okay. But when I finally entered school a year later, those happy feelings soon went away.

On August 12, 2015, it was my first day of school. My first day of kindergarten. I was very excited. I get to meet new friends and new teachers. Though at the same time, I was nervous. Would the kids like me? Would they not like me? Would they not like me because I'm in a wheelchair? These thoughts sorta scared me, but my mind was plagued by more happy thoughts than bad thoughts, so I didn't care that much.

After getting ready for school, my parents finally dropped me off. It was the first time I saw the school building of Royal Woods Elementary. I was impressed by how big it was. I also saw lots of children, ranging from about four to eleven, entering the school. None of them had wheelchairs, and I began to grow a bit lonely. Would I be the only student with a wheelchair? I shrugged it off and approached the building to get to my class. The only problem is that there were stairs in the way. They were three steps high, but I still can't roll my wheelchair up the small stairs. I looked around to see if there were ramps to use, but to my dismay, I saw none. No ramps in sight. Great. Now I can't get inside the building and get to class all because of some tiny stairs. I tried to ask the students for help, but none of them helped me. They were either in a hurry, or just flat-out ignored me. Thankfully, a janitor saw me struggling to get up the stairs and helped me up. I thanked him and went on my way to class.

As I went to class, I noticed that the only way to reach the second floor was to use the stairs. I looked for an elevator, but like with the ramp I found none. Now don't get me wrong. My kindergarten class was on the first floor, and I was lucky I was chosen a first-floor class, but what if there was another student on a wheelchair whose class was on the second floor? What would he or she do to get to his or her class? Obviously he or she would ask for help, but what if the students ignore him or her? What would he or she do then? Royal Woods Elementary sure has a problem with inaccessibility.

As I finally reached class, I was greeted with a smile from my kindergarten teacher Ms. Shrinivas. She introduced herself, and I introduced myself. She told me that my parents informed her of my disability, and she promised that she would help me in any way possible. I smiled at her. She then led me into the class. She showed me my seat, and I approached it, but as I rolled to my seat the other children in the class were staring at me funny. When I finally reached my seat, the kids still had their eyes on me. Were they staring at me because I'm in a wheelchair? Are they wondering why I'm in a wheelchair? Those stares made me uncomfortable. I asked them to stop, but they didn't listen. I wanted to crouch under the table. I couldn't stand those stares. I want them to stop. Please stop. I know I'm on a wheelchair, but please stop. The kids continued to stare at me until Ms. Shrinivas began to teach the class. I was relieved when that happened.

After a long ABC's lesson, it was time for recess. When I was about to ask one of the kids if I can play, a girl appeared in front of me and stopped me. It was Lacey St. Clair. She was also with two other girls her age, and they were all giving me this menacing smug. I was a bit scared.

"Why hello there, cripple," Lacey spoke.

"Cripple?" I asked, not knowing what that word meant.

"You don't know what cripple means?" the second girl laughed. "I thought you knew. I mean, your parents should've told you that you are crippled."

"I actually don't. What does it mean?" I asked again.

"It means you can't walk," clarified the third girl. "A cripple has to use a wheelchair if he or she wants to move around."

"And you are definitely crippled," Lacey giggled.

"Honestly, I don't know why people would let cripples live, along with other disabled people," wondered the second girl.

My eyes shrank to the size of tiny dots after the second girl said that. "What do you mean live?"

"Girl, just look at you!" exclaimed Lacey. "You're a cripple! You can't walk or run or dance or jump or kick! What's so good about not being able to move your legs?! I'll tell you what: nothing! Nothing's good about being crippled."

"Plus," the third girl adds, "nobody is gonna be friends with a cripple, so asking these kids to play with you will be a waste of time."

"And if you finally become a grown-up, then it'll be hard for you to get a job because you're crippled. I mean, who's gonna hire a cripple? Cripples are useless! They can't do anything without help!" the second girl exclaimed.

"In other words," Lacey began, "you disabled people are a plague to society. You're all dumb, useless, helpless, needy, and broken! You are all just wasting space, air, and resources that should've been going to us abled people. You are all life unworthy of life! So give me a favor and ask your parents to take you to the doctor and ask to be euthanized."

The three girls then began laughing as they left. I was left in tears. How could they say that to me and other people with disabilities? How could they say all that mean stuff? Also, euthanized?! What does that mean?!

And if you thought that the bullying was bad, it gets worse. When I tried to ask the other kids to play, they either said no or ignore me. When I asked again, they would walk away. Later during lunch, when I wanted to be with the other children, they would scoot away or leave the table entirely. So I was forced to eat alone. No friends. No comfort. No support. I began crying to myself. Nobody wanted to be my friend because I'm on a wheelchair. Because I'm physically disabled. Physically handicapped. Unable to walk. Unable to run. Paraplegic. Crippled. Maybe Lacey and the girls were right. I am a plague to society. I will never make friends or get a job. Society doesn't want me or people like me. To them, we're a burden. We're nothing.

And if you thought bullying and ostracization at school was terrible, it gets EVEN WORSE outside of school.


	3. Discrimination in Public

One time, my brother and I were waiting for a bus at a bus stop after shopping at a mall, and boy were some of the stores at the mall inaccessible. At some stores, the paths were too narrow for me to go through due to so many clothes, forcing my brother to go through the path and pick some clothes for me. The upper floors of the mall were also inaccessible as there were too many stairs and elevators. Admittedly, there were also elevators, but so many people were using them and occupied so much space that I could not squeeze through, so my brother and I had to wait for a while. There was even an ice cream shop on the first floor with an entrance that was too narrow for a wheelchair to go through, so my brother had to enter the shop on his own and buy ice cream for both of us.

The mall wasn't the only building that was partially inaccessible. During the bus ride to the mall, I've seen many buildings that were inaccessible to wheelchair users. I saw stairways but no ramps, and I saw entrances to some building that were too narrow for a wheelchair user. Sheesh. Royal Woods has a problem with inaccessibility, but it wasn't the only problem I faced out in public.

While waiting for the bus to ride home, about two or three buses didn't stop for us and drove by. And no, these buses weren't of a different route. The bus stop matched the exact route of the buses that passed by, so why did they not stop for us. Did the bus driver not see the bus stop? No. Two big windows were right in front of the bus, meaning the bus driver can see his surroundings outside the bus, including the bus stop, so there's no way he could NOT see us at the bus stop. So I was left with one theory: Did the bus driver ignore us, and did he ignore us because of me? Because I was in a wheelchair?

After waiting for about an hour (unfortunately), a bus finally stopped for us. Since I was in a wheelchair, the driver had to lower a ramp so I could enter the bus, which took a while. After getting on the bus, the driver lifted some seats and rolled me to that space before hooking the wheels on hook, y'know, so my wheelchair doesn't roll around while the bus is driving. All of this process took a while to do, maybe around five minutes, and I can feel that some passengers on the bus grew a bit impatient as they looked like they were in a hurry. After hooking my wheelchair, the bus driver walked back to his drivers' seat and started the bus again. That's when our bus ride home began.

As the bus began driving, I couldn't help but have this strange feeling that I was watched. I looked at my brother, and sure enough he was looking at his phone, definitely not watching me. Then, I looked around the bus and saw an elderly lady staring at me with a look of anger. Next to her was a boy around my older brother's age who looked worried as he stared at the old lady, presumably his grandmother. I was intimidated by that lady's look. I hate it when people look at me like that, especially when I did nothing wrong.

"You there, little girl!" the old lady suddenly snapped, pointing her cane at me.

Her sudden yell caught everyone's attention, including Ike's.

"M-m-me?" I pointed to myself, shaking with fright.

"Yes, you!" the lady snapped once again. "This is all your fault!"

"My fault? How is it my fault?" I asked.

"Don't act like you don't know a darn thing!" the lady screamed, startling me. "It's all your fault these people are late! They have things to do! They have places to go! My grandson and I have places to go! And you're holding us down! You're slowing us down! You cripple!"

There it is again. That word. Cripple. This elderly lady is blaming me for everyone's problems because I'm crippled.

"Grandma, calm down," the teenage boy next to her said. "The wheelchair girl has nothing to do with people being late!"

"I don't know why the bus driver let you inside the bus!" the old lady continued berating me, ignoring his grandson. "He shouldn't have just left you outside! No, why would society let people like you live! You're a darn cripple! You're weak and useless!"

"Grandma, please!" the boy insisted.

"You shut your trap!" the old lady snapped at her grandson. She then looked back at me and resumed ranting, "You disabled people are a burden to society! You all make people's lives even harder than they already are! You cripples don't deserve to be roaming free or live your lives! You all deserve to be locked up in asylums where you all will be euthanised!"

I sat there in complete and utter shock. There was that word again. Euthanised. What does that mean?! And why does this old lady want not only me but ALL disabled people euthanised?! I covered my face and began crying. People keep saying these mean things to me. The bullies, some of my schoolmates, and this old lady. Why do people keep attacking me and treating me like a villain? Why do people view my disability as evil?

Ike had witnessed everything as well as everyone else. He heard every insult the old lady hurled towards me, and he will not let it slide.

"Excuse me, you old hag! What the heck is your problem?! You made my little sister cry!"

The old lady looked really offended. "How dare you talk to an old lady like that?!"

"How dare you tell my sister she should be euthanised because of her disability?!" Ike shot back. "You literally just told a little girl that she should die!"

Die?! So euthanise means to kill?! When people tell me I should be euthanized, they wanted me to die?!

My brother and the old lady then went into an argument, intensifying as the argument rambled on. The argument grew so intense that the bus driver had to pull over the bus and intervene. The old lady was kicked out for causing a ruckus, and the boy had to apologize to my brother for his grandmother's actions.

"I'm so sorry about this, dude," the boy apologized. "I swear my grandmother isn't usually like this."

"It's okay, dude," my brother said. "It just makes me angry that people would talk to my sister like that."

"Yeah," agreed the boy. "It's sad that people still think negatively about disabled people these days; speaking of disabled people, how long was your sister in a wheelchair?"

"Since birth," Ike replied. "My sister was born with paraplegia, so she has to be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life."

"Holy crap," the boy was a bit shocked. "Well, I hope your sister will forget everything my grandma said to her, and I wish both you and your sister a good day. Later, dude."

And then the boy left. I'm glad the cruel old lady is gone. I suffered enough from bullying and ostracism at school. I don't need strangers insulting me and telling me to die because of my disability.


	4. Comfort

I went straight to my room after coming home from the bus ride. I laid on my bed and cried for goodness knows how long. I've suffered enough. The bullying, ostracism, discrimination, and prejudice. Lacey and her friends were right. Nobody wants me because I'm in a wheelchair, or as they and the old lady would like to call it, a cripple. They view me as useless and a burden to society because of my disability. Maybe I am better off dead. Maybe I should be euthanised like they told me to.

As I sobbed on my bed, my older brother Ike entered my room. I didn't bother looking up from my pillow. I was too sad and hurt to do so. He sat next to me on my bed and comforted me, stroking my hair.

"Hey. Hey. Don't cry. I know that old hag had said hurtful things about you, but don't listen to anything she said. You're not a burden to society. You're a person just like anybody else."

"Yeah. A person on a wheelchair unlike everyone else," I sobbed, sounding almost sarcastic.

"Well, true," Ike admitted, "but that doesn't make you a bad person."

"Ike?"

"Yes, Isabelle?"

"Does euthanise really mean to kill?"

Ike paused for a second. He was unsure if he wanted to answer that question, but he knew I was close to the right answer, so he decided to give in and spill the truth.

"Somewhat yes, but it's more of a mercy kill depending on the situation. It means you're killing that person because you don't want them to suffer anymore."

"So when that old lady told me to get euthanised, she wanted me to die to end my suffering?" I asked.

"And that's where you're wrong," resumed Ike. "Like I said before, euthanasia is a mercy kill depending on the situation. When that old lady told you to be euthanised, she thinks she wants to end your suffering, but she's not. She thinks you're suffering when you're not. People have this belief that the lives of disabled people are nothing but suffering even though that's mostly not true. Some people with disabilities do lead happy lives, y'know? And you're one of them. You may have to be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of your life, but that doesn't mean you won't have happy moments."

"Well in that case, maybe I should be euthanized," I sobbed once more.

Ike was taken aback by my statement. "Woah! Woah! Woah! Don't say that! You don't deserve to be euthanized. You're not suffering."

"Then what about the bullying at school?" I finally confessed.

My brother was in absolute shock. You see, I didn't tell my family about the bullying and ostracism at school, and I've done this for a few days. The reason I've kept my mouth shut is that I had this fear that my family would turn against me if I revealed the truth. Due to all the bullying and ostracism, I truly felt that I was unwanted by everyone, including my family, so I had this false belief that my family pretended to be nice to me and would reveal their true colors if they found out I was being bullied and ostracized. That, of course, was not true, but at the time I was suffering from internalized ableism due to the discrimination I faced, so I thought my fear was legitimate.

"Bullied?" my brother asked, still shocked.

"Yes," I wept.

"By who?!"

"Those three girls from school!" I cried. "They said horrible things about me, telling me that I was useless, helpless, dumb, needy, and crippled. They even said that I was a plague to society that needs to be gotten rid of. One of the girls, Lacey, also told me to get euthanized like the old lady."

"My God…" Ike uttered in shock.

"And that's isn't the worst part!" I resumed. "When I tried to ask the other kids at school if I can't play, they either refused or ignored me, and when I wanted to sit with them during lunch, they either scooted away or left the table entirely."

"My goodness!" my brother exclaimed. "Isabelle, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I… I…" To be honest, I didn't want to say this, but I already told him about the bullying and ostracization, so I had to reveal the truth. "...was afraid you, mommy, and daddy would turn against me."

By this point, I stopped crying a bit.

"What?!" Ike exclaimed, both shocked and confused. "Where did you get that idea?"

"I… thought you and our parents were pretending to be nice to me and would stop once you found out that I was unaccepted by my schoolmates."

Ike couldn't believe every word I said. I was treated so badly that I even thought my family wouldn't accept me.

Ike took a sigh before telling me, "Look, Isabelle. I am your big brother, and our parents are… well… our parents. We're family, and we always support each other no matter what. We would never stop loving you because you can't walk. We will do everything you can to help you live a great life just like everyone else. The bullies, the old lady, and anybody else like them are sick and twisted in their minds. They probably have never been loved by anybody else in their lives and just want to vent out their anger on others. You're not worthless or useless or a waste of space or resources. You're a human being just like anybody else, and you will be treated as such. Even though there might be people that hate you or are jealous of you or don't support you, you still have me. You still have mommy and daddy. You still have family that will support you no matter what."

I rubbed a tear off my eye. "You really think so?"

Ike nodded. He then grabs me and picks me up from my bed. I had stopped crying by this point.

"C'mon. Let's tell mom and dad what you've been through lately."

My brother's speech touched my heart. He taught me that even though there are people that might reject me for having a disability or look down on me, I still have family to look up to. I still have mommy, daddy, Ike, and other family members that still love me for who I am, reminding me that I am not alone and I am still loved.

After Ike's speech, we told our parents about the bullying and social exclusion I dealt with at school, and they called the school. The next day, Principal Huggins suspended Lacey and her two friends from school for a month. News of the bullying and exclusion reached Ms. Shrinivas as well, and she did a whole lesson about paraplegia to my class. After that, my classmates started including me in their activities and even sat with me during lunch. I especially attracted the boys who admitted that I looked cute. Some of them even admitted that that's the reason why they excluded me from their activities because they were too shy around me. I guess they didn't dislike girls in wheelchairs. That's a relief.

If you all think my story is over, think again. I still have one more thing to talk about: my pageant career.


	5. Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods

I was first introduced to pageants one day when my best friend Fiorella (she moved away since the last day of kindergarten before summer vacation, but we still talk occasionally via video chat today) and I left class after Ms. Shrinivas dismissed our class since it's the end of the school. As we walked (well, for me I rolled) and talked about our usual interests, we were approached by a man wearing a grey suit and red glasses. He stops in front of us and asks me:

"Excuse me. Are you Isabelle Dawson?"

"Um… yes," I replied.

"Well my name is Donny Dufresne, and I would gladly like to ask you if you're interested in signing up for the Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods pageant."

(For those unaware, Donny Dufresne used to be a man, but he is now a transgender and now considers herself a woman named Dana Dufresne.)

I stared at Donny in confusion. At the time, I didn't know what a pageant was, so I asked him, "Pageant? What's a pageant?"

"I'll gladly explain," said Donny. "A pageant is a beauty contest where adorable little girls like you appear on stage wearing beautiful dresses or performing spectacular talents while telling the audience what true beauty is to you."

Fiorella and I grew ecstatic after hearing the words "wearing beautiful dresses." Playing dress up was one of our favorite things to do as best friends besides playing with dolls, although I do have trouble putting on a dress or any clothes for that matter since I'm confined to a wheelchair, so I had Fiorella help me dress.

"We get to play dress up?!" Fiorella and I asked excitedly.

"Why of course!" confirmed Donny. "And that's not all! You see, this pageant won't be a normal pageant. This pageant will be a pageant for wheelchair users only, hence why it's called Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods, and that's why I'm asking YOU," he pointed at me, "if you would like to join. I see potential in you since you look adorable. So… would you like to join?"

"Do I ever!" I exclaimed in joy.

"That's the spirit! Meet me tomorrow after school at the auditorium." And with that, Donny leaves.

Both Fiorella and I squealed with joy. This is the first time I'm gonna be in a pageant! And not just any normal pageant, but in a wheelchair pageant for wheelchair-bound little girls like me!

"Isabelle, I'm so proud of you!" Fiorella exclaimed.

"I know! I'm gonna be in a pageant!" I exclaimed.

"You better get ready, girl, because tomorrow is your big day!"

* * *

The next day, I arrived at the auditorium, which is located somewhere in downtown Royal Woods, where the practice for the Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods pageant will take place. When I entered, I saw a huge stage with nobody on it yet. The only person I saw was Donny who was standing in front of me.

"Ah! There you are!" he exclaimed.

"Hello, Mr. Dufresne."

"So, you're ready to practice?" Donny went behind me and began to gently push me.

"Yes, but…" I looked at the empty stage once again. "Where are all the girls?"

"They're in the backstage getting ready," replied Donny, "which is also where I'm taking you right now."

"Oh."

As Donny took me to the backstage, I noticed that the auditorium was very accessible. The entrance had a ramp, the entrance itself was wide enough for any wheelchair user to go through, and the stage had lifters for wheelchair users to use when they wanted to get on stage. This building is definitely perfect for the Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods pageant.

When we finally reached the backstage, I was flabbergasted by what I saw. I saw six girls my age in wheelchairs wearing the most beautiful dresses I've ever seen, but it isn't their dresses that caught my attention. It was the girls themselves that caught my attention. I've never seen so many people in wheelchairs before; heck, I've never seen anyone my age in wheelchairs before. I felt like I actually belonged in this pageant.

"Looks like it's someone's first time seeing the backstage," said Donny.

"No. It's my first time seeing this many people in wheelchairs," I corrected, "not counting the one I've rarely seen in public."

"You don't say?" said Mr. Donny. "Why don't you meet the girls and dress up with them? It's the first part of the pageant."

And with that, Donny left me alone with the girls. I joined in with the girls and mingled with them, and trust me, most of these girls are just as sweet as me. We talked about our lives living with paraplegia, our interests, our families, and other stuff. We even talked about the discrimination we faced as wheelchair users such as inaccessible buildings, bullying, or encountering people who believe we don't deserve to live because of our disabilities. One girl even spoke about how a worker at an ice cream shop accused her of faking her disability and even tried to force her off her wheelchair, but her father came to her rescue and beat the living crud out of him. Geez, why do people treat us disabled people like animals? Despite getting to know the girls, I forgot all of their names because it's been a while since I last saw them, but I think one of them was named Annabelle. Anyway, after getting to know them, we went back to preparing for dress up.

After that, the practice for the Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods pageant finally began. Like I said before, the first part of the pageant was dressing up. It's simple: all we do is walk (or in this case, roll) on stage while showing off our beautiful dresses to a pretend audience. I was wearing a pink dress with flowers as a necklace because I find flowers to be more beautiful than jewelry. When I showed off my dress to the judges (Donny was one of them), I earned a perfect ten score. I definitely won that one.

The second part of the pageant was talent. This was the hardest part of the pageant because I did not know any stage talents that didn't involve the use of legs, but when I saw the girls perform such talents I was impressed. These girls had discovered ways to perform their talents without the use of their legs! One example was how one girl performed martial arts without using her legs. All she did was karate chop bricks and even broke brick walls with her head. No karate kicks or anything! But the one I found to be the most impressive was the one who performed a baton dance. All the girl did was twirl the baton and toss it into the air before doing a wheelie! She then catches and resumes twirling it while still doing the wheelie! I was like: OMGoodnss! How was she able to maintain her balance on the wheelchair?! So after the talent part was over, I asked the girl if she could teach me how to perform a baton dance, and she agreed! I was very excited when she said yes! When we began practice, I had some trouble at first. I kept accidentally throwing the baton when I twirled it, almost hitting the girl, and I kept losing my balance when I tried to do a wheelie, usually falling on my back. However, after I practiced some more, I eventually got the hang of it. That was when I became the great baton dancer I am today!

The last part of the pageant was the questionnaire. Like the dress up part, the questionnaire was simple. We were asked questions such as "What was true beauty to us?" and "Why did we join this pageant in the first place?" Very easy stuff.

Basically, the Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods pageant is like your typical, normal pageant for little girls; the only difference is that the contestants are wheelchair users.

For the next two weeks, we've practiced for this pageant over and over again. Eventually, the date for the actual Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods pageant finally arrived. We've performed the same exact parts on the real pageant: dress up, talent, and questionnaire. And guess who won the pageant? Me! I won! I won my first ever pageant! My family was obviously proud of me, and I was proud of myself. That was when I finally discovered my hobby: pageantry.

After the Little Miss Wheelchair Royal Woods pageant, I participated in other wheelchair pageants and almost won every single one. While I enjoyed participating in pageants, there was one thing that bothered me during my early pageant career. It bothered me every time I entered a wheelchair pageant. That one thing was a wish, a wish that I would one day participate in a pageant with normal kids, kids that aren't physically handicapped like I am. I asked my parents if I can join a pageant with normal kids, but they always refused, worried that I would be bullied and excluded once more. While I was upset that I wasn't allowed to join a normal pageant, it wasn't until a year later that I finally got my wish.


	6. Joining the Pagaent Club

It was around five months ago when I first entered a pageant with able-bodied kids. I was in the living room watching _Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil_ (my favorite cartoon and still is to this today) when, suddenly, my parents entered the home.

"Sweetie, we have good news for you!" my mother said cheerfully.

"What is it?" I asked.

"We've been thinking about this throughout the past year, and now we've decided that we think it's time to let you know," said my father.

I stared at them in confusion. What are they talking about? And what were they thinking about during the past year?

"Your father and I have decided to let you participate in a pageant with normal kids!" my mother finally told me.

I gasped in delight after hearing that. "REALLY?!"

"Yep," confirmed my father, "and if ya win, we'll take you on a trip to Dairyland!"

I squealed with joy. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!"

I wanted to run up to my parents to hug them as tight as I could, but I forgot I can't move my legs due to my disability.

"Umm… would you mind coming over to me?" I asked my parents.

My parents approached me and picked me up from the couch. I hugged them tight from there. As I hugged, I realized something.

"But wait, I thought you were worried that I would be bullied again if I participated in a normal pageant."

"We did," my mother admitted, "but after realizing you hadn't been bullied since the first day of kindergarten, we changed our minds."

"And we thought it would also be a great opportunity for you to make new friends since your best friend Fiorella left town after your last day of kindergarten," added my father.

"Before we arrived home, we asked the school secretary if she allowed wheelchair users in the pageant, and she said yes!"

"So you're in, kiddo!"

"THANK YOU, MOMMY AND DADDY!" I thanked them once again as I hugged them once more.

* * *

The next day at school, Cheryl, the school secretary, is taking me to Pageant Club to meet the club members and become part of the club.

"I never knew we had a pageant club," I said.

"I thought you knew," said Cheryl, "since you participated in wheelchair pageants."

"But the school doesn't have a club for pageant girls in wheelchairs; plus, all the other wheelchair girls are from other schools," I told Cheryl.

"You got a point there."

After walking a bit more, we finally made it to the Pageant Club. On the door was a pink poster with a picture of a tiara with text written in cursive saying, "Princesses Rule!" I fell in love with the poster because it's the same poster I have in my own bedroom (I also love princesses).

Cheryl knocks on the door and says, "Kids! Could you let me in, please?"

"Coming!" a girly voice that sounded like she's royalty can be heard from behind the door. The door opens, and there she was. The blonde-haired girl wearing a tiara, a pearl necklace, a pink gown, and a light pink sash. It's her. It's the one and only Lola Loud. I've seen her many times at school and on the normal pageants I watched on the princess channel on TV. I've heard from my wheelchair friends in the wheelchair pageants that she's notorious for winning almost every single pageant she enters, though my other friend told me that she met her match in a regional pageant against three rich girls that happened to live together. Nonetheless, I viewed Lola as the most amazing pageant participant ever! I loved her performances at the pageants, especially her ribbon dances and baton dances. She's the one who inspired me to continue participating in pageants. I am a huge fan of her, and the fact that I'm about to meet her made me beam with delight. I'm finally about to meet the inspiration of my life.

"You may come in," Lola bowed as she lifted her dress a bit. My goodness! People weren't lying when they said that Lola has good manners. By this point, I thought I was dreaming, but I wasn't. This was real life, and I'm actually gonna meet Lola Loud in real life!

Lola then went back inside the clubroom followed by Cheryl. After waiting for a moment, she came back.

"Isabelle, you may come in now," she told me.

I rolled into the clubroom, and what I saw awed me. Many mirrors and drawers surrounded the clubroom as well as the walls that were painted pink, and on said drawers were makeup utensils and supplies. In the middle of the clubroom is a stage where the members practice their 'walk the stage' routine, and spotlights surround the stage. The children that were doing their usual routines suddenly stopped and looked at me with wonder.

"Children, I would like for you to meet Isabelle Dawson," Cheryl told the club.

"Um… hi," I said nervously.

The children slowly approached me, staring at me with wonder. After a few seconds of silence, one of them finally spoke.

"Why hello there, Isabelle," a boy with a pompadour haircut greeted. He then gently grabbed my hand and kissed it. I immediately blushed. Nobody had ever kissed me in the hand before. I looked away shyly, embarrassed by the fact that a boy kissed my hand.

"The name's Winston. Winston Milbourne," he took a bow.

I looked back at Winston. "Nice to meet you, Winston."

My gosh did Winston look very handsome. If there were beauty contests for boys, then he would definitely win if he entered one.

"My name's Roxanne!" said a girl in a turquoise gown.

"I'm Alfred McAlister," the boy that looked similar to Winston bowed.

"The name's Carlino," the Hispanic-looking boy said, posing and pointing at me as if he was wooing me. "But you can call me Carl."

"My name's Jane Fitzgerald," the chubby girl said. "I'm also known as the pretty plump princess due to my size," she giggled at her name.

The rest of the pageant children introduced themselves to me. Adelaide, Lindsay, Francis, Jacqueline, Jackie, Claudette, Chinah, Rhonda, Patty, Alex, Miriam, Sally, Helen, Jesse, Oprah, and Arthur. They all welcomed me to the club. It felt nice that none of them prejudged me based on my disability, but there was one that hadn't introduced herself yet: Lola Loud. During the introductions, Lola looked rather… uninterested in me, as if she didn't care that I was here. That made me a bit sad, but I introduced myself to her anyway. I've been waiting for this since I first entered the clubroom.

"You must be Lola Loud!" I said cheerfully.

"And how did you know me?" she asked, still uninterested.

"I'm your number one fan!" I told her. "I've heard a lot about you! And I've seen your amazing performances on the princess channel! You're the reason why I'm here in the first place!"

"Ooh. You said you are a fan of moi?" Lola is now intrigued. "I am amazing, aren't I?"

"Yep!" I exclaimed. "And I can't believe I'm going to enter a pageant with you!"

That's when Lola grew a bit nervous. "Oh. Um… you're entering the pageant with us? Well… umm… that's great... I guess," she giggled nervously.

"And speaking of the pageant, you ladies better get back to practicing while we judge," said Winston.

" 'Kay!" the other girls and I said.

And with that we began practice. As we practiced, I couldn't help but wonder something about Lola. When I introduced myself to the club, she looked so uninterested in me, and when I mentioned that I was a fan, she gained interest, but when I told her I was entering the pageant, she grew nervous. Why was that? Why did she act so weird around me?


	7. Problems with Lola

After weeks of practicing at the club, the day of the pageant finally arrived. The pageant was taking place at the school auditorium (not to be confused by the auditorium located in downtown Royal Woods). There, my new friends and I were at the backstage preparing ourselves for the competition. I looked at my own reflection on the mirror, admiring the beauty of the dress I'm wearing. It was a white dress with a ribbon tied around my waist, and the skirt was so huge that it would greatly surpass the width of my wheelchair if I stood up (which I can't for obvious reasons). To simply put, I looked pretty in this dress. I smiled at my own reflection. I would definitely win the dress up part of the pageant.

Suddenly, I saw a reflection of Lola appearing behind me. I immediately looked back, and, sure enough, it was Lola whose smile looked a bit like a smirk, as if she was up to no good.

"Oh! Hey there, Lola!" I greeted her. "Check out my new dress!" I picked up the skirt, then dropped it. "Doesn't it look pretty?"

"Yes you do," Lola replied, sounding a bit uninterested in my dress. "Anyway, is it okay if I talk to you in private?"

"Oh. Umm… sure… I guess."

"Great. Come with me." Lola then grabs the handles of my wheelchair and pushes me behind a wall where nobody can see us. "There. This should be private enough."

"So… ummm… what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Not much," Lola replied. "Just about your… disability."

"My disability? So you want to learn more about my disability?"

"No. I don't want to talk about your disability itself. I want to talk about how your disability will ruin this pageant," her voice suddenly became a bit bitter.

"What?" I suddenly went from happy to confused. "What do you mean my disability will _ruin_ this pageant?"

All of a sudden, Lola grabs the handles again and pushes me outside the wall. "What do you see, Isabelle?" she asked, sounding a bit more bitter.

I looked around and saw the pageant girls preparing for the pageant. "Umm… our friends preparing for the pageant?"

"Okay. Are there any similarities between the girls?"

"Well… they are all wearing beautiful dresses…"

"Okay. Other than that."

"They all have beautiful hair."

"Other than that."

"They're all girls."

"I already know that," Lola suddenly grew a bit impatient.

"They are all wearing heels," I resumed.

"Other than that," Lola gritted her teeth.

"They are all our age," I guessed once more.

This is when Lola had enough. I can tell by the growling she made.

"Fine! I'll tell you! They are all not using wheelchairs! Now do you see it?!" she roared with anger.

"Oh. Now I get it," just then, I became confused again, "but what does wheelchairs have to do with this?"

Lola suddenly pulls me back behind the wall. She then leaned her face close to mine with that smirk of hers, making me feel uncomfortable.

"Do you know what this means, Isabelle?"

I shook my head. "No?"

"That means you automatically win the pageant, and it's all because you're in a wheelchair," Lola said.

"How would I automatically win the pageant because of my wheelchair?" I asked nervously.

"Think about it, Isabelle," Lola explains, sounding a bit sinister. "As soon as you appear on stage, the audience will take one good look at you and your precious wheelchair and will not clap for you. Instead, they will feel bad for you, pity you for being on a wheelchair. They know that you will be confined to your precious wheelchair for the rest of your life. Even the judges will pity you for this, and as a result, they will declare you the winner of this pageant, even before you get to perform your baton dance. You win just like that, and you can thank your disability for that."

"What? No! You're wrong! The audience won't pity me! And the judges will judge me fair and square! I would win fair and square!" I protested.

"Nope. I don't think so, Little Miss Wheelchair," Lola smirked again. "I have no idea why Cheryl allowed you to be in this pageant. She knows that there are pageants for people in wheelchairs, so she should've enrolled in one of those pageants instead of this one. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people in wheelchairs, but it annoys me when the people in charge of the pageant enter disabled girls in pageants that are supposed to be for normal girls only. People like you don't deserve to be in normal pageants because your disability will arouse pity among the audience and judges; therefore, ruining the chances for normal girls to win. With all that said, if you want us to win, then do me a favor and quit."

My eyes grew wide when I heard the last word. It rang through my mind nonstop after hearing it.

"W-w-what?" I asked, shocked. "You want me to quit this pageant after practicing hard for weeks?!"

"Yes," replied Lola, still smirking, "and the hard work you speak of, it's all for nothing. All you're gonna get is pity. Pity this; pity that. Society is right. You disabled people sure are inferior to non-disabled people."

Lola then giggled before leaving, leaving me standing there in complete and utter shock. I cannot believe the person I looked up to for a year is prejudiced against disabled people and views us as inferior and something to be pitied. This whole time, my idol looked down on people with disabilities, especially people in wheelchairs. I unknowingly supported a person who is ableist. I began crying, now realizing that Lola is nothing but an ableist bigot.

As I cried for goodness knows how long, I suddenly felt warm hands touching my shoulders. I looked up and saw a boy rubbing my shoulders. He looked two years younger than me. He is wearing a pair of square-shaped glasses and a black suit. He has a curly haircut with a hair color that matched mine.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking really concerned.

"No. I'm not." Tears flowed down my cheeks.

"Thought you say that," said the boy. "I've also overheard your private conversation with Lola, and geez I never knew Lola had that kind of side."

"Tell me about it," I wept.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay," the boy assured. "I know what Lola said was messed up, but it's okay. I'm here."

I wiped a tear from my face, trying my very best to stop crying. Suddenly, I thought back to what the boy said seconds ago. That's when I stopped crying and grew curious.

"Why were you eavesdropping?"

"Well… umm…" the boy rubbed the back of his hair. "There's an explanation to that," he giggled.

The boy then began his story, "When my family was about to enter the school building, I.noticed from behind lots of people you and the pageant participants. Lola was acting strange around you, as if she was nervous around you, and that's when I sensed that something was not right. To get to the bottom of this, I asked my parents if I can go to the bathroom, and they said yes. That was an obvious lie as instead I snuck out of the building. I snuck behind the school and into the backstage. Then, I saw you and Lola talking and I immediately hid behind a stack of mats. That's when I overheard Lola saying all the terrible stuff about you and other people with disabilities."

"Wow. That sounded like a lot of work."

"Tell me about it. I had to sneak past security guards."

"Anyway, what's your name?" I asked.

"My name's Beau. Beau Yates."

"Beau. That's a cute name," I giggled.

"Umm… thanks," he blushed.

"My name's Isabelle. Isabelle Dawson."

"Nice to meet you, Isabelle," Beau shook my hand. "So I've heard that you're the first wheelchair user in Royal Woods to enter a pageant with able-bodied children."

"That's right," I confirmed.

"How long have you been in a wheelchair?" he asked.

"Since I was born."

"Ah. I see. Were you bullied for it?"

"Apparently yes. And discriminated against," I answered. "Last year, when my brother and I entered the bus, there was this old lady who snapped at me and said horrible stuff about me. Stuff like, 'It's your fault you're making people late' and 'You're a plague to society' and 'You deserve to be placed in hospitals and euthanised.' "

"That lady actually told you to be euthanized?!" Beau was suddenly shocked.

"And she's not the only one. Lacey and her two friends also told me to be euthanised."

"Ugh. Lacey," Beau scoffed. "Of course she would say that. Thank goodness her two snobby friends switched schools."

"And even though they were suspended for a month, they resumed picking on me afterward, though it wasn't as much."

"Sheesh. You've been through a lot."

"Tell me about it."

Beau placed his hands on my shoulders again. "Listen, Isabelle. Don't let people like Lola, Lacey, and the old lady put you down because of your disability. They probably don't feel good themselves."

"I know. My brother told me," I said.

"Then do what your brother told you. If you want to prove Lola you don't deserve to be pitied, then stand up for yourself. Show them that you can be as good as able-bodied people. I believe in you!" exclaimed Beau.

"You know what? I will!" I declared.

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Beau. "Now get out there and prove those bullies and ableists wrong!"

I nodded, and with that I rolled back into the backstage. If my so-called idol thinks I'm going to be pitied, then I'm going to prove her wrong!


	8. Accused!

During the pageant, the pageant participants, myself included, participated in the usual three parts of the pageant in order: dress up, talent, and questionnaire. For the dress up part, I wore my beautiful white dress; for the talent part, I performed my wheelchair baton dance; and for the questionnaire, I answered a few questions about true beauty and pageantry. After the three parts of the competition, the winners of third and second place were announced. Lindsay, the girl with the huge turquoise bow and turquoise dress who was formerly Lola's rival, won third place, and Lola won second place, much to her surprise and disappointment. I, as well as the others, expected that since she was obsessed with winning first place. Now it was time to announce the winner of first place.

"And now," Donny announced, "the moment you all have been waiting for. The winner of first place… is…"

My heart began racing as I, the other participants, and the audience, waited for the name to be uttered right out of Donny's mouth. The moment grew more intense as seconds ticked away. Two girls have won second and third place, and there are about fifteen girls, including me, worthy of winning first place. I bet they are also tensing up as much as I am as moments passed like a breeze blowing through the air.

Come on, I thought to myself. Just say the name already! Why, Donny? Why make this moment more tense than it already is?

After waiting for what felt like an hour, Donny finally uttered the name of the first place winner:

"...Isabelle Dawson!"

My heart skipped a beat as soon as I heard my name. I felt my excitement arousing inside my body. I wanted to jump out of my wheelchair and into the air, but it should be obvious that I can't. I rolled towards Donny, tears of joy filling my eyes, and he presented me a golden, shiny tiara. My eyes grew wide as I saw that beautiful, shiny tiara. Donny places the tiara on my head as I smiled. I felt a tear of joy roll down my cheek. I looked at the audience and saw them clap and cheer for me, especially my family. I know I've won so many pageants before, but this is the first time I've won a normal pageant. A pageant mostly for able-bodied girls. This is indeed the greatest moment of life…

...until I heard a familiar voice:

"AHA! I KNEW IT!"

The applause suddenly stopped. Everything went silent in just a split second. We all faced the direction of the voice and saw Lola, who looked very frustrated.

"I knew that the pity you received would lead to your victory!" she pointed accusingly at me.

"What are you talking about?! I won fair and square!" I protested.

"LIES!" Lola snapped. "You knew you were gonna win because you are disabled!" she pointed at me again.

"Actually, we judge our contestants fair and square, regardless if they're disabled or not," stated Donny.

"LIES! PURE LIES!" Lola growled. She then looks back at me, "I don't know how you did it, but you're not gonna get away with it!"

She then snaps her fingers, presumably to make sure everyone in the auditorium is listening.

"Everyone, listen up! Isabelle is a fraud! She's faking her disability so she can win this pageant!"

Everyone gasped at Lola's accusation. I also gasped. I was in complete and utter shock. I dealt with bullying and stigma against disabled people, but I was never accused of faking my disability. Not even once. I would never do such a thing! Especially since I actually have a disability!

"That's not true! I'm not faking my disability!" I protested.

"Oh yes you are faking your disability!" Lola retorted. "I bet you can stand up just fine!"

"My princess! What you just said was a very bold statement! Are you sure your accusation is true?!" Winston question.

"I'm positive, Winston!" Lola insisted. "I would never make something like this up!"

She then looks at me again, "Come on, Isabelle! Stand up! I know you can! Come on! Stand up!"

"I'm telling the truth! I have a disability!" I insisted.

"Yeah! Leave my daughter alone!" my father shouted from a distance.

"She was in a wheelchair since the day she was born!" my mother stated. "You have no right to accuse her of faking her disability if you don't know what you're talking about!"

"Of course I do know what I'm talking about!" Lola argued. "Why would I be saying this if I didn't know what was I talking about?!"

"Do you have proof that my sister is faking her disability?!" my brother questioned.

"Of course I have proof! And it's your PITY!"

"Everyone! Everyone! Please!" Donny pleaded. "I'm sure we can get to the bottom of this."

"Isabelle…" a voice called to me. It was from Winston. He stared at me as if I were some criminal. "Y-you… lied to us?"

I looked around and saw my friends looking at me the same way as Winston was looking at me. They all felt disbelieved. Shocked. Horrified.

"You faked your disability this whole time?" Jackie questioned in disbelief.

Everyone began surrounding me, asking questions whether I faked my disability or not. Everyone is treating me like a criminal. Like I've done something wrong. Like a thief. A hoodlum. A delinquent. Everyone is believing Lola. They are believing her and not me. Then, everything turned black. The audience. The contestants. The judges. Donny. My surroundings. The stage. The entire auditorium. All of it was enveloped in darkness. The only things that weren't engulfed by darkness were me and my wheelchair. I was alone. Completely alone. I began crying. Lola falsely accused me of faking my disability, and everyone believed her. Nobody wants to listen to me. I'm not faking my disability. I swear! My disability is real. I am disabled. I can't deal with being treated like a criminal. I want somebody. I want someone to be with me. Believe me. Protect me. Defend me. Defend me against the disgraceful, ableist scum I formerly viewed as my idol.

Suddenly, I began hearing voices. Two voices. Both of them coming from somewhere in the darkness around me. Both sounded familiar.

Stand up for yourself, sis!

Don't let that bully win!

I stopped crying and looked around the darkness, but I saw no one.

"Who's there?!"

It's me! Your big brother Ike!

And Beau!

"Ike? Beau?"

Yes! confirmed Ike's voice. And you need to stand up for yourself! Defend yourself!

If the bully sees you crying, she'll think she won, warned Beau's voice.

Don't let that bully win! Don't let any ableist win! exclaimed Ike's voice.

Like I said before, if you want to prove to people that you don't deserve pity, show them you can stand up to yourself! Beau's voice reminded.

Then, their voices stopped. I was once again left alone. I closed my eyes and let Ike and Beau's thoughts sink into my thoughts. They're telling me to stand up to the bully. Gasp! Wait! That's the key! That's the key to proving everyone that I'm not faking my disability and that Lola's nothing but an ableist scum.

Then, the darkness disappeared. I was back in the school auditorium. Back on stage.

"No, Lola!" I suddenly yelled, sounding very defensive. "You're wrong!"

This caught everyone by surprise. The pageant contestants began backing away from me, knowing that I had enough of this nonsense. Never would anyone ever guess that a sweet girl in a wheelchair like myself would snap like this.

Lola was also taken aback by my defensive manner, but she did not take it well unlike the others. "Excuse me?!"

"I'm not faking my disability, and I have PROOF!"

"Oh yeah? SHOW ME!"

"Actually, I can't," I crossed my arms.

"What?" Lola became confused.

"That's because my parents have it!" I finally told her. "Mommy! Daddy! Show this scum my disability papers and ID!"

As told, my parents stood up and pulled out the evidence that I am, in fact, disabled. Everyone gasped in shock after seeing the evidence.

"This is my daughter's disability papers!" shouted my father.

"And this is her disability ID!" added my mother.

"And where did we get these? From the doctor's office!" my parents exclaimed. "Proof that our daughter is not faking her disability!"

"Who's the liar now, Little Miss Ableist?!" I questioned Lola, who is now sweating profusely knowing that her accusation is proven wrong.

"Miss Lola Loud!" Donny suddenly shouted in anger as he approached her. I rolled out of the way so I don't interrupt their serious talk.

"I am absolutely appalled by your actions today! You have made a very serious accusation, and it is proven to be false! Do you have any idea what serious consequences you will face for making such a false statement?!"

"I… well… ummm… I…" Lola tried her hardest to come up with an excuse, but I knew she had nothing. Nothing will excuse her for her ableist actions against me.

"I'll tell you!" Donny snapped. "For making such a serious, falsified accusation, you are DISQUALIFIED from this pageant and the next one!"

Lola gasped in horror. "WHAT?!"

"Hand over your silver tiara, NOW!"

The ableist bigot wanted to protest, but she knew there was nothing to save her. Not even her precious Prince Charming was willing to defend her. Lola complied and handed over her tiara back to Donny.

After their serious talk was over, I decided to have my own serious talk with her.

"And before you leave," I began in a stern tone, "there is something I want to tell you about people with disabilities, so you better listen. If you think disabled people like myself are meek and deserve nothing but pity, YOU'RE WRONG! All people with disabilities deserve to live happy lives just like anybody else! We don't want to be pitied! We don't want to be looked down upon! We don't want to be seen as inferior to the able-bodied and able-minded! We don't want to be seen as burdens or plagues to society! We don't want to be euthanized! We want to be treated equally and respectfully! I'm sick of these negative attitudes society has against us disabled people! We disabled people are just as capable to do anything like you non-disabled people! I'm not gonna let people like you drag me down and tease me for being disabled! I'm going to speak up for myself and against the injustice we disabled people face everyday! We don't need other people to defend us! We can defend for ourselves! With all that said, you can now leave the stage and think about what you've done, you ableist bitch!"

As soon as I ended my serious talk, the audience turned restless. They began booing at Lola and saying stuff like "Get off the stage!" and "You bully!" and "Stop picking on the disabled!" I even heard my brother Ike shout "You tell that bully, Isabelle!" Honestly, hearing that made me feel a bit better. I looked at the audience and saw Beau giving me a thumbs up. That made me feel a lot better. Even the pageant contestants began booing at Lola. Ha! How does it feel to have your friends turn against you now? I've also noticed that only one family wasn't booing. It was a family of nine girls and one boy. I assumed it was Lola's family. Lola, no longer handling the booing, decided to run off the stage crying. Serves her right.

After Lola left, the booing stopped. Everyone was calm now.

"Alright," Donny began, "with that over with, I announce Lindsay Sweetwater as the new second place winner and Roxanne Waters as the new third place winner!"

Everyone began clapping, and I clapped as well, not only because the winners weren't ableist bitches like Lola but because I was proud of myself for finally standing up against the person I formerly viewed as my idol. I hope she regrets her actions after everything that had happened.


	9. Forgiveness(?)

The next day at school, Beau gently pushed me as we walked through the hallway and socialized. We were recently dismissed from our classes for recess, so we were heading towards the playground via hallway.

"You know how to speak Korean?!" I asked in surprise.

"Sure do!" exclaimed Beau. "I've been taking Korean class since I was three!"

"Amazing," I said.

"Wanna hear me speak Korean?"

"Do I ever!"

Beau clears his throat, and then he says this, "당신은 귀엽다, 이사벨 (Dangsin-eun gwiyeobda, Isabel)."

I was both flabbergasted and impressed. "Wow! You spoke it fluently!"

"Want me to translate?"

"Yes, please!"

"It means: You're cute, Isabelle."

I blushed at the compliment. "Oh my. Why… thank you."

"Y-y-yeah. No problem." I noticed Beau is also blushing.

Just then, we stopped walking as we noticed a familiar person slowly approaching us. It is a girl around my age. She has long blonde hair, but she has an awfully different look. Instead of her usual pink gown and light pink sash, she is wearing a plain white shirt, baggy blue pants, and Converse shoes. Her tiara is also absent from the top of her head. It was her. Lola Loud, aka the person who falsely framed me for faking my disability during yesterday's pageant. She slowly approached Beau and me with what looked like guilt plastered on her face, trying her hardest to look away from me as much as possible. I don't blame her for not looking straight into her face because when she approached me, I flashed her the dirtiest look I could ever give anyone. I was still upset and hurt about that damn ableist framing me for faking my disability; to me, that was the lowest any ableist could ever go. Then, I looked at Beau and saw that he was also glaring disdainfully at Lola. He also could not forgive her for what she had done yesterday. Finally, I looked back at Lola and resumed giving her my dirtiest stare.

As Lola is about a foot away from Beau and me, I greeted her with the most sarcastic hello I'll ever give anyone, "Well, well, well. If it isn't Little Miss Ableist."

"What are you doing here, Lola?" Beau questioned. "Haven't you caused enough damage to Isabelle already?"

"Hey, Isabelle," Lola greeted, sounding very nervous.

"So what brings you here, Miss Lola Loud?" I asked, still sardonic. "Are you here to tease me once again? Are you going to remind me how disabled people use other people's 'pity' to cheat competitions such as pageants?"

"Actually no," Lola said, seemingly sounding guilty.

Beau and I were a bit surprised by her answer. We exchanged surprised looks.

I looked back at Little Miss Ableist and asked, "What do you mean 'no'?"

She replies, sounding regretful, "What I mean is that… I realized what I did was wrong after you exposed me for lying about my accusation. Thanks to my stupid actions, my friends all hate me now! They refused to talk to me or even hang out with me! They claim that they won't hang out with a bully who picks on the disabled. They even kicked me out of the Pageant Club and won't let me back in until I make things right with you! Hell, even Winston won't talk to me! Even though we're still together, he won't go on dates with me unless I make up with you. Heck, even my own family turned against me after the incident. My siblings won't stop calling me a bully and disability hater, and my twin sister Lana kicked me out of my own room! My parents then grounded me for a month, meaning I can't participate in any future pageants!"

"So what?" I said, not caring about the punishment and ostracism Lola faced. "You deserved it for being an ableist scum."

Lola cringed at the words "ableist scum". She knew that what she had done yesterday was very terrible.

"You're right. I deserved everything I said for what I have done yesterday. That's why I'm here to say these two words."

Tears formed in Lola's eyes as she said her two words:

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I called you a faker and for saying those horrible things about you and other disabled people!"

Beau was taken aback by Lola's sudden apology. As for me, however, I was very unimpressed.

"Pfft! You're just saying sorry because you were caught," I scoffed, not believing every word my former idol said.

"No!" Lola cried. "I'm not lying! I do regret my actions from yesterday! I promise!"

At that point, I was taken aback. I really did not want to believe her, but she sounded so genuine. She does sound like she regrets everything she had done during the pageant yesterday.

I stared at Lola for a bit and sighed. I know she genuinely regrets everything she had done to me yesterday, but I had to tell her this:

"Lola, I understand that you regret everything you did yesterday, but I'm afraid I can't forgive you. Not because I don't believe you, but because of the severity of your actions. What you did yesterday really disgusted me. In case you didn't know, I had faced discrimination due to my disability. I've been bullied, ostracized, and judged by many people since I first entered school and went out in public. Transportation buses even drove by me while waiting for that bus. People often say that I'm a burden to society and blame their problems on me while others pity me, thinking I will never reach my full potential in life due to my disability. But no matter how much discrimination I faced in the past, I have never been accused of faking my disability. You, Lola Loud, are the first person to accuse me of faking my disability. The moment you falsely accused me, I was hurt. I was in absolute disbelief. I never thought an ableist like you would go that low. And before you leave, let me tell you this: just because people have one of many physical, mental, or learning disabilities doesn't mean we're less human or inferior. We disabled people are human beings just like me and you, and we deserve to be treated as such. And until you can prove to me that you can overcome your ableist ways and can treat disabled people with respect, we can't be friends. I'm sorry, but… I just can't forgive you after what you've done."

After giving Lola my speech, I turned to Beau and said, "Come on, Beau."

And with that we resumed walking, leaving Lola to cry in guilt. I just can't forgive her. What she had done yesterday appalled me. I can never forgive anyone for accusing me of faking my disability when I'm not. At this point, I thought I'd never forgive Lola or at least take a really long time for me to forgive her, but never would I ever expect what was coming for me a week later.


	10. A New Friendship

It's been a week since the incident at the pageant. Everything went normal throughout the week. I went to school, done my schoolwork, hung out with friends during recess and lunch, returned home, and spent time with family. The only thing that changed was Lola's social standing. Throughout the week, almost everything hated Lola for what she had done during the pageant. They refused to talk to her or even be around her. Funny that she used to be so popular before the incident, but a day after she is the most hated person in school. Just like that my former idol lost her popularity. That is what she gets for falsely accusing me of faking my disability when I'm not. But nothing prepared for what was about to come on the Monday morning of next week.

My mother dropped me off at the entrance of the school. I bid farewell to her, and she bid farewell back. She then drove off to work. When I turned around, I noticed that there were no students entering the school. Huh. That's weird. Every time I arrived at school, there would be many students entering the school. Did I come too early, or did I arrive too late? No. My mother, Ike, and I left home on time per usual, so there's no way we could've arrived early or late.

But what stood out to me the most was a ramp. Yes, you heard me right. A ramp. Right beside the small staircase was a ramp that was not there before. I was confused. This school never had a ramp before, so I was forced to ask for help if I want to enter the school building. Now they had finally built the ramp. I guess this school is finally taking care of its inaccessibility problem, at least its inaccessible entrance.

I used the ramp to reach the entrance. Honestly, it felt great that I didn't have to ask for help to reach the entrance, especially if there is literally nobody around to help. I reached the entrance. Both doors are closed. Great. I rolled my wheelchair back a bit, and then I grabbed the doorknob and turned it. Sure enough, it was open. I used my strength to throw the door open and rolled inside the school as fast as I could before the door closed on me. Opening doors by myself can sometimes be problematic for me.

When I looked around the hallways, I saw nobody. I was really confused (and a bit scared). What the heck is going on?! Am I in a nightmare or something?!

All of a sudden, to my greatest surprise, everyone from the students to the teachers all jumped out of their hiding spots at once shouting:

"SURPRISE!!!"

After the shout, confetti fell from the ceiling and two teachers lowered a banner which states:

"The school is now accessible to wheelchair users."

I am now very confused as to what is going on.

"What's all this?!" I asked everyone, surprised.

"We did it, Isabelle!" exclaimed Beau.

"Did what?"

"We finally solved the inaccessibility problem of this school!" exclaimed Mr. Huggins.

I gasped in unison after hearing that exclamation. "Wait. Really?!"

"Yep," confirmed Alfred.

"So that explains why there is now a ramp in the entrance!"

"Exactly," said Lisa, Lola's younger sister, "but that's not all."

"We've also installed more ramps at all the locations of the small staircases of the school!" David shows me a computer which displayed all the camera angles displaying videos of small staircases with newly-built ramps beside them.

"And for the bigger staircases, we've built elevators for you or other wheelchair users." Lana, Lola's twin sister, shows me an elevator right next to the staircase leading to the second floor.

I was beyond impressed. This school finally took care of its inaccessibility problem to make it easier for wheelchair users like myself to navigate around the school.

"Wow! I can't believe this! Now I don't have to ask for help every time I come across a staircase!" I exclaimed in excitement.

"We would not have done it if it weren't for Lola." Lincoln, Lola's older brother, then steps aside to reveal Lola, my former idol, who for some reason was smiling. I was shocked to hear that it was Lola's idea to resolve Royal Woods Elementary's inaccessibility problem.

"So this was your idea?" I asked her.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because… well…" Lola's smile faded a bit, "I felt really guilty after you didn't forgive me for what I've done during the pageant. I thought about it and realized you were right to not forgive me at the time. What I did that day was terrible and disgusting. It was so terrible that it was unforgivable. There's no way I can fix that with a simple 'I'm sorry'. So I had to do something. Something that not only will repair my reputation, but also earn your forgiveness and… possibly your friendship. I've also noticed that you had trouble navigating around the school due to these staircases with no ramps and elevators, and I thought about it and realized I can change myself by making this school accessible!" Lola then grew cheerful. "So I convinced the principal, the students, and everyone else to build ramps and elevators to make the school more accessible to wheelchair users like you. I've even invited my family over to help!"

The Louds, Lola's family, then appeared behind her to reveal themselves to me. It is the same family that didn't boo Lola off the stage during that dreadful night. My guess that it's Lola's family was proven correct.

Lola resumes, "I thought that by making this school more accessible to wheelchair users I'll prove to you that I can overcome my ableist ways, and I did it! I've overcome my ableist ways!"

I felt like crying. Lola had decided to help wheelchair users by adding ramps and elevators to the school, and she did all of this to earn my forgiveness. Maybe Lola did have a change of heart after all.

"So," Lola spoke again, "do you forgive me?"

I smiled as she asked that question. After what she had done to help people like me, there's no way I can't forgive her.

"I… forgive you."

As soon as I said that, Lola began shedding tears. I did as well. Then, to everyone's happiness, we both hugged. Everyone began cheering as we embraced each other. Lola had finally proven that she can overcome her ableist nature, and she earned my forgiveness as a result. Maybe Lola and I will be good friends after all.


	11. The End of my Story

Even since the apology, Lola and I have become very great friends. We shared the same hobbies, talked about pageant gossip, binge-watched princess movies during sleepovers, hung out with friends, etc. We even invited each other to our homes to meet our families. I got along with the Louds, and Lola got along with my family. The Louds are a pretty interesting family. Many had unique talents and hobbies, and sometimes they would clash with one another because of that, but they love each other nonetheless. Lola has such a great family and a chaotic one at that. In addition, when we go out somewhere to socialize or hang out with friends, sometimes we would encounter at least one person who is an ableist bigot. Every time such a person were to insult me or prejudge me based on my disability, my friends are always there to defend me, but nobody is as good of a defender as Lola Loud. She would tell that person how it is wrong to think that disabled people are inferior to abled people in a hardcore manner, and she would even go as far as to ask that person how would they feel if they had a disability and they were negatively judged because of it, which would make them have a change of heart. Even though how Lola defends me could sometimes go a bit too far, I still appreciate her defending me from ableist scums. If she hadn't proven that she can overcome her ableist ways, she definitely did now. Because of the great things she had done for me, I admittedly gained a crush on her for a short time; however, as you all know Lola already has a lover, and it is a boy named Winston Milbourne. I was a bit upset that I was too late to admit my feelings for Lola, but fortunately, I also gained a crush on another person.

Beau Yates is another great friend of mine. Even though we have fewer similarities and more differences, we still got along pretty well. Beau would hang out with me every time I'm lonely, he would make me feel better every time I'm sad, he would offer me flowers (which I loved so much) every time we take a stroll through the park, defend me against ableist bigots, and so on. He even invited me to his home to meet his family. Apparently, his family is perfect, and I mean very perfect as his parents like to push them to their full potential. Beatrix, his oldest sister, is taking a computer-coding class. Bumper Jr., his oldest brother, has a trophy room. Belle, his second oldest sister, has an internship at the United Nations. Lastly, Beau is in a Korean-English immersion program, which explains why he knows the Korean language. Furthermore, when the Yates first met me, they treated me with care and respect, not because of my disability but because I was a sweet girl. That made me smile happily. Unfortunately, because of the family's "well-roundedness", Beau barely spends time with me which made me very sad; however, that did not mean he had completely forgotten about me. Even though Beau may be very busy at the program, he still cares about me and would look for a way for both of us to hang out. That's what I like the most about Beau Yates. He's such a caring boy who still thinks about his friends even during the busiest times, and because of that, I gained feelings for him.

Honestly, I'm glad Lola already has a boyfriend because if she were still single, I would've been deciding whether to date Lola or Beau. Thank goodness Lola had found a lover months before I gained a crush on her. As for Beau, I haven't admitted my feelings for him yet because I was worried he would reject me due to how busy he is with the Korean-English program; however, he had found ways to hang out with me, so maybe he'll also find ways to go on a date with me.

* * *

And that concludes the story of Isabelle Dawson the paraplegic pageant girl aka me. I thank you all for taking the time to read my story, and I will see you next time in LoudArtist's next story. Goodbye, everyone! ❤


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